Musée national de Préhistoire

Over het museum

From 1863, Édouard Lartet and Henry Christy carried out excavations in the Vézère valley, which made Les Eyzies a major centre of prehistory. In 1913, on the initiative of Denis Peyrony, the State bought the ruins of the château of Les Eyzies to house an excavation depot and a museum called the “Musée national de Préhistoire”. The château, built at the end of the 16th century beneath the cliff, had been partly dismantled in the 19th century for its stone.

The collection grew with the Peyrony collection in 1913, the excavations of François Bordes in 1991, the gift of Georges Laplace in 1994 and the Pales-Gobillard donation in 2003. In 1972 the museum became the second provincial museum attached to the Direction des musées de France.

To enlarge the museum, an architecture competition was held in 1984, and Jean-Pierre Buffi’s design was chosen. The foundation stone was laid in 1994; some 30,000 m³ of rock were extracted from the cliff in 1995. The new buildings were completed in 2002.

The new museum was inaugurated on July 19 and 20, 2004. It occupies around 1,500 m² of permanent galleries and displays more than 12,500 objects. The route covers humankind, portable art, the living world, the environment, tools, ornaments, daily life, decorated blocks and burials.

Hoogtepunten

• More than 12,500 prehistoric objects displayed over about 1,500 m²
• Museum dug into the cliff beneath the château of Les Eyzies
• Collections from the major excavations of the Vézère valley
• Themes: portable art, tools, ornaments, decorated blocks, burials
• Free app with 16 essential works and a family route

Vaste collectie

• Collections permanentes – The route presents more than 12,500 objects on prehistoric humans, portable art, tools, ornaments, daily life, decorated blocks and burials.

Opgericht

1918

Beheerder

Ministère de la Culture

Directie

Denis Peyrony

Bezoekers per jaar

ca. 94.357

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Gratis toegang: Free admission for everyone on the first Sunday of each month.

The prices shown apply to the period of the current temporary exhibition (until November 8, 2026). Free admission also for serving teachers holding the Pass éducation. A Pass Culture is mentioned on the website.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The permanent galleries and the temporary exhibition room are accessible by lift and ramp, as is the outdoor terrace. Accessible toilets are located in the first-floor lobby. Wheelchairs and folding seats are lent at reception (temporarily unavailable according to the website). The château is reached by ten steps and the dig site by three steps. Two accessible parking spaces are provided, one in front of the museum and one on the Place de la Mairie, on a steep slope. Assistance dogs are admitted. For hard-of-hearing visitors, a printed guide “Les Incontournables” is available. The website states that accessibility is partially compliant.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour

Eight children’s booklets are available free of charge in the museum (for example on Cro-Magnon, the bison or the wild cats) and can also be printed. On Thursdays during school holidays, the activity “JEUdi, c’est JEU” offers family game sheets. Do-it-yourself tutorials with a museum guide are available as videos.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The museum is 45 km from Périgueux and 20 km from Sarlat via the D47.

Service & horeca

• Museumwinkel

The bookshop offers art and archaeology books, postcards, jewelry and reproductions from the Réunion des musées nationaux foundry. Benches are placed throughout the galleries.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Zakelijke evenementen

Tot 126 personen.

The 126-seat auditorium can host colloquia, lectures and corporate events (general meetings, training, evening events).

Je bezoek plannen